Edward van Niekerk, cluster head: Business Science, Belgium Campus ITversity.
Private higher education institution Belgium Campus ITversity has announced key developments in creating sign language for Deaf computer science students.
This, as September is observed as International Month for Deaf People, to promote awareness of the rights of Deaf persons around the world.
Belgium Campus ITversity says it has developed a dictionary containing nearly 100 sign language words related to computer science.
Educators and linguists face complex and multifaceted challenges in developing such terminology, where the development of sign language terminology remains a significant barrier, it notes.
“The tertiary institute’s approach to developing sign language terminology involves collaboration with Deaf students to test and refine new terms in real-world educational settings,” says Edward van Niekerk, cluster head: Business Science, Belgium Campus ITversity.
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“We’ve been working with Deaf students since 2015 to develop a set of terms specifically for computer science. The process is ongoing, but over the past decade, we’ve built a growing dictionary of words, covering subjects like programming, database management and networking.
“The terminology development process at Belgium Campus iTversity has been a carefully planned, community-driven effort. We don’t just create signs in isolation. We work closely with our students to see how the signs work in practice, and we refine them based on their feedback.
“Technology advances at a rapid pace, and as we develop new terms, we have to stay flexible and adapt to these changes.
“South African Sign Language (SASL) faces a unique set of challenges. The absence of a formalised approach to developing technical vocabulary, along with the shortage of experts in SASL linguistics, severely limits the progress that can be made in this area,” notes Van Niekerk.
“SASL, like many other indigenous languages, has been historically marginalised, and as a result, terminology development in fields such as science and technology has been largely neglected.
“The resources available to institutions like the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in the US − where terminology for fields like computer science, philosophy and mathematics is being developed by experts in sign language linguistics, subject matter specialists and Deaf individuals with experience in specific fields − are not available in South Africa. This lack of resources has made developing technical vocabulary in SASL significantly more challenging,” he explains.
“We hope that this work will eventually lead to a more standardised vocabulary for Deaf students in South Africa and beyond, making it easier for them to pursue careers in STEM fields.”
The growing dictionary of terms is being developed as part of Belgium Campus’s community outreach initiatives, with the aim of making this resource available to schools for the Deaf in the future.
“By building strong relationships with these schools, the goal is to provide students learning computer applications technology with a foundational understanding of technical terms before they enter tertiary education. This proactive approach will ultimately help them transition into fields like computer science with greater ease,” says Van Niekerk.
